Expeditions of a Different Nature
by erinmar13
Summary: After Yamatai, Lara deals with the realization that she is in love with Sam while handling the press and trying to stay ahead of Trinity.
1. Chapter 1

'They say when you almost lose someone close to you, that you realize how you actually feel about them. I am burdened with that clarity now.'

Lara sat on her bunk in one of the cabins of their rescue ship, staring out the porthole. Sam lay stretched out in sleep, her head in Lara's lap. She had gripped Lara's thigh tightly, clinging to her like a life raft. Lara stroked Sam's hair softly. 'What are you going to do now, Lara,' she thought, you're in love with your best friend.' She looked down at the sleeping girl, wondering at the soft smile on her face. 'How can she smile after all we've been through?'

Lara returned her view to the ocean, watching the waves rise and fall off into the distance. "You don't have the answers to anything anymore."

She had been so confident at the start of this venture; searching for the lost nation of Yamatai. She knew what she was looking for and where to go. The people closest to her trusted her. Then they got there and it all went to shit. 'Stop worrying 'bout the past, Lara, you've got a whole world ahead of you.' Roth's voice played in her head. She did have the whole world before her, and all she could think about was Sam. Lara leaned her head back against the wall. The waves past on and on until the horizon blended with blue sky. Her consciousness drifted as the ship rocked on the sea.

Lara walked across the quad of UCL. Classes had resumed after Christmas holiday, and the morning sun glittered off a thick blanket of snow that lay heavy upon the campus. Her focus was on her classes, oblivious to the outside world.

THWACK! A snowball smacked Lara between the shoulder blades. She spun round to find the offending party, ready to react. Sam ran up to her laughing and threw her arms around Lara in a tight embrace. "I missed you so much over break."

Lara hugged her back. "I missed you too, Sam." Sam held her arm across Lara's back as they walked together. "Did you have a good time with your family?"

Sam nodded. "I had missed them. It was nice to see them all, but you can only be home for so long before your feet just want to go."

Lara smiled, she was intimately acquainted with the concept. "I know the feeling."

Sam leaned her head on Lara's shoulder. "I am glad to be back here with you."

A flash of light filled Lara's vision, enveloping her until all she could sense was a deafening ringing in her ears and a blinding white void. She dropped to her knees, holding her head. She felt like she was screaming, but she couldn't tell. The light faded and her vision slowly returned. The landscape around her was changed. The snowy stone of UCL on a sunny morning was replaced with a dark dreariness. Was it night? The building nearest her was in ruins; the marble pillars cracked and broken, the roof half caved in. The quad around her was covered in thick growth, stones upturned and missing in places. She was alone.

Lara awoke with a jerk. "Sam." She was gone. A panic set into Lara. "Shit shit shit." She ran into the passageway. "Sam!"

"Lara?" Sam's voice echoed along the metal bulkheads. "I'm in here."

Lara sprinted to the door. "Sam, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

She rubbed a towel over her wet hair. "Yeah. Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

Lara leaned back against the doorframe. Her breath rushed out as every muscle in her body relaxed. "Everything's fine. I just…I woke up and you were gone. I thought…I don't know what I thought."

Sam smiled softly. "It's okay, I just came to take a shower. I didn't wake you cuz I thought if any of us need sleep, it's definitely you."

The adrenaline ran its course, leaving Lara drained and hungry. "Damn it, that was a rush."

"Sorry." Sam winced.

"No, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything. Let's make a deal though: you don't go disappearing on me anymore and I won't panic every time I wake up and you're gone."

"Deal." Sam held out her hand to shake on it.

Lara took it and realized for the first time how soft they were. Her stomach fluttered, a blush running across her cheeks. _'You've got to get a hold on that.'_ "I'm going to go see about the galley. Don't know about you, but I'm famished."

"God, yes. I'll be there in a minute. Maybe with some food in us we can start to talk about what happened this past week. I need someone to talk to, to help make sense of everything."

Lara was not looking forward to that. "Maybe."

Lara managed to forestall any conversation about the island until they were back in London. Sam came to her flat under the premise of a girl's night in. Lara both dreaded and longed for it. She knew that they would cozy up on the couch together to watch a movie. Sam would settle against her, resting her head on Lara's shoulder. Lara would drape her arm around Sam's shoulders like she always did. Except it was different now. She longed for the familiar touch, the comfortable warmth of Sam's body against her own. To drown out the desire, Lara had turned her attention to her notes on Yamatai. Her father had notes from all over the world; every culture had a way to overcome death. He had been chasing the concept of immortality, if only he'd known how close he'd been.

Sam came in without knocking. Lara looked up from her desk covered in papers and maps. Sam wore a tight-fitting V-neck tee and leather jacket. It was her usual outfit, but Lara noticed with fresh eyes how attractive she looked in it. Sam tossed her jacket over a chair and dropped onto the sofa, propping her boots on the edge of the coffee table.

' _Shit.'_ Lara grabbed a beer to numb the burning in her chest.

Sam wasted no time. "I read your journal entries and I know you saw my tape." She always did jump straight into the deep end.

"Sam—" Lara attempted to interrupt her, trying to buy time to change gears in her mind.

"I was right the whole time, it really was your big discovery. You were right, Lara. You found Yamatai. You'll be famous. I can see the headlines now, 'Archaeologist Croft Discovers Fabled Lost City.'" Sam beamed.

"Maybe I can begin to wipe the stain from my father's reputation." Lara said sullenly.

"It's a start, at least. We have to figure out how to convince them that Himiko wasn't just myth, that the Sun Queen was real, that there really _was_ a magic to Yamatai." Sam was enthusiastic. Her friend would be a real life Indiana Jones and she'd be there the whole way to chronicle her discoveries.

"What?" Lara frowned. "Sam, no. No one is ever going to believe any of that. I went through it and _I_ barely believe it. That kind of talk is why they ran my father through the dirt."

Sam was confused. "But, Lara, that's what happened. You can't explain what occurred on that island without telling the truth."

"Sam, it doesn't matter. No one will believe it. They'll all say I'm just another Croft gone daft chasing a faerie tale."

"So what's your story going to be, then?" Sam was increasingly agitated, and now she sounded defensive.

Lara took a long swig of beer. "The truth that people will believe—that Mathias was insane. That he wrecked there just like we did and he went mad. He learned the history and the myth of Yamatai and twisted it to set up a cult around himself. That's all true."

"And so is the fact that he tried to bring the Sun Queen back to life in a dumbass attempt to gain favor and end the storms."

"Yes, Sam, he did. But we can't tell them it was real. All we can say is that he _thought_ it would work. That he'd killed so many girls before, convinced himself that he could bring a centuries-dead woman back to life. The proof of his delusion will be in the bodies of all those burnt girls." Lara turned to brace herself against the kitchen counter; she wasn't ready for this fight.

Sam jumped to her feet. "He tried to kill me too, Lara. I _know_ it's fucking crazy, but it happened. And he was right! He did bring her back. I felt it, Lara. I felt her in me. I heard her voice in my head."

Lara faced her again. "It's over, Sam. She's dead. Let it go."

Sam's face turned red. She snatched up her jacket and sped for the door. "Says the woman too afraid of her dead father's shadow to tell the god damned truth." The door slammed closed, echoing off the walls.

"Fuck." Lara slammed her beer on the counter. _'How do you always end up alone?'_


	2. Chapter 2

It was weeks before they spoke again. Lara had agonized over it at first, torn herself up inside. Then she did what Lara Croft did best: lost herself in work. She was pouring through an old journal of her father's with a new perspective on his research when the phone rang. She answered it without looking at the screen.

"Hello."

"Hey, Lara." It was Sam. Her voice sounded flat, almost distant.

Her stomach did cartwheels. "Hey, Sam."

Sam was quiet for a long moment. "I'm sorry." She paused again. "Do you want to see me?"

"Of course, Sam." There was a knock at her flat door. "Hang on, someone's at the door." Lara went to pull open the door. Sam gave her half a second to recognize it was her before jumping into a hug. Lara held her tight, breathing in her scent.

"I'm sorry, Lara. I said some shitty things that I shouldn't have. I did some thinking, and… you were right. There's no way we can tell the whole truth about Himiko. No one would believe it, and everything of historical importance that we uncovered would be meaningless."

Lara squeezed her tighter. "I forgive you, Sam." Lara fought against the urge to kiss her.

Sam pulled back from their embrace and smiled at her. She took a seat on the couch, as if there had been no misstep, no missing time between them. "Now we have to decide what we're gonna tell them at the press conference."

Lara swallowed hard as she closed the door. It was hard to focus on anything other than Sam. Sam with her bright eyes and shining smile and that playful puppy nature. _'Stop it, Lara. There's no good down that road.'_ With a deep breath to steady her mind, she sat on the couch next to Sam.

Sam caught Lara up. "Jonah and Reyes didn't see much of the crazy stuff. The hard questions are going to fall to us. Well, to you mostly. They've already agreed to go along with whatever version you think is easiest to swallow."

"You spoke to them already?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, you were…I wanted to make sure everything was good before coming to you."

"It's all on me then?" Lara sighed.

"No, Lara. It's on both of us." Sam reassured her she wasn't alone.

She smiled at Sam. "I'm so glad I have you." Lara squeezed her across the shoulders. "I missed you, Sam."

Sam rested her head on Lara's shoulder. "I missed you too. Let's agree to never not talk to each other for that long again."

"Deal."

The press room was abuzz with chatter. Lara and Sam waited backstage. They had all come to a mutual agreement that Reyes and Jonah would stay out of the spotlight. Reyes had her daughter to think about, and a long story about her father and the choices she'd made to tell her. A press junket on top of that would be too much stress on her family. Jonah felt it better to let his little bird fly on her own. He didn't have much to contribute and didn't want to risk a misstep that would contradict Lara's account. Lara paced, breathing deep and heavy breaths. Her inner monologue ran through the planned responses she'd carefully scripted. Sam grabbed her hand. Lara stopped pacing and looked up at her. "Lara, it's gonna be okay." She took a slow breath, her fingers gripped Sam's tightly. "You got this." Sam reassured her.

' _Only because you're here with me.'_ She dare not give voice to that thought, but it was comforting nonetheless. Lara took another breath, her body visibly relaxing as she exhaled.

"Ladies." The press director gestured toward the stage. "You're about to be announced. We've slated an hour and a half for you. Planned for forty-five minutes to give your account, forty-five to take questions. We'll let you know when time is winding down."

"Okay." Lara nodded, more to boost her own confidence than to acknowledge the statement. She uttered under her breath. "You can do this, you can do this. You know what happened. You've got this."

Sam was still holding her hand; she squeezed it tight. "You do, Lara. I have faith in you."

Did that make her feel better or worse? She couldn't tell. There wasn't time to focus on it though, because they were immediately waved onto the stage. Lara sat in the front of the large collection of microphones, Sam beside her. She cleared her throat. "As most of you know, I am Lara Croft. I went in search of what was once believed to be myth: Yamatai. But as with most stories, there was truth underneath the fantastic…."

Lara finished her story, allowing Sam to fill in the narrative where her personal experience was greater.

The director stepped out onto the stage. "We will now be accepting questions for Ms. Croft and Ms. Nishimura." Every hand in the room shot up as they all started to speak at once. The director pointed to a man in the front row.

"Ms. Croft, is this story the fable that led your father to take his own life?"

' _Fuck.'_ "What led my father to take his own life was the disgraceful way the press treated his archaeological theories outside the accepted dogma of history. Theories, as it happened, I proved to be correct."

"Next question." The director prompted the next reporter.

It was going to be a long forty-five minutes.

"Well that went to shit." Lara stormed out the back door of the press room. "I'm getting a fucking drink. Sam, you coming?"

"After that mess, absolutely." Sam followed on her heels.

The two women cut through the streets of London to the nearest pub. "Two pints of Newcastle." Lara announced as she sat at the bar.

The bartender turned to serve up two mugs of draft under the mistaken impression that Lara was ordering for both women. "Cider for me, please." Sam added.

The man looked up from the tap, a question on his face.

"Yes, two pints." Lara confirmed.

"Been a rough day, I take it?" He asked as he placed the first mug in front of her.

"You have no idea." Lara proceeded to down nearly half the pint.

"Well, shite darling. You need some food to settle that?"

"Some chips would be fantastic."

Sam was still on her first cider when Lara was ordering a third pint. "Lara, honey, do you maybe want to slow down?"

Lara shook her head, a bit looser that it should have been. "Absolutely not. I have been utterly slaughtered today by the press. They're going to set me up just like they did my father. But I'm not going to let them get to me the way they did him. No, absolutely not. I am going to show them. I am stronger and far more stubborn than my father ever was. They won't ruin me." The TV above the bar ran a flashy promo advertising the broadcast for their conference. They threw out buzz words and tabloid headlines. Lara shot up a V and drank heartily from her glass.

"At least eat a little more." Sam tried.

Lara nodded like a scolded teenager, but picked at the basket of fries. "I don't want to remember today, Sam. I'm going to drink until I can't."

Let no one ever say that Lara Croft cannot hold her alcohol. Her smallish frame made no damper on her tolerance. She meant what she'd told Sam, she intended to drink until she couldn't accurately recall the previous few hours of her life. It took several pints, but she had indeed become staggeringly drunk.

"Thank god we're not far from your apartment." Sam stated when they left the pub. Lara's arm was around her shoulders and she carried most of Lara's weight as she leaned heavily into her.

"I can get home on my own, Sam. You don't need to come with me." Lara smiled at her.

"Oh no. I am getting you home safe. You didn't risk your life several times on some god-forsaken island in the middle of the Pacific just to die back here in London tripping drunkenly into the street." Sam held her around the waist and started a slow walk toward Lara's place.

Lara nodded. "Fair point." Her arm slid down Sam's back, resting low across her hips. She kept turning back to smile at Sam

It was a strange look. Sam couldn't quite place the feelings behind it; she just chalked it up to Lara being so drunk.

"You're very pretty, you know?" Lara was smiling at her again.

"I like to think so." Sam joked.

Lara nodded. "You are. And your skin's so soft." Lara ran her fingers down the bare skin of Sam's arm. "And warm. How are you so warm all the time?" She stumbled a bit. Sam caught her up before she could fall. Lara rested her head against Sam's shoulder. "Your hair is so silky. It always smells like…" Lara buried her face in Sam's hair to take a deep inhale. "Like flowers. You're like a garden, Sam. Beautiful and bright and you smell so wonderful."

Sam blushed. This was…new. Lara had always been so hard to get out of her shell. She kept her thoughts and emotions close to her chest. This outpouring of affection was strange. Sam stopped. "Come on, Lara, we're here. Just got to get you up these stairs."

"I can scale mountains! Stairs are nothing, Sam." Lara proudly took a step forward, ready to ascend the stairs with gymnastic grace. She slipped on the first step and nearly fell face-first into the banister. Sam grabbed her by the waist and held tight as they walked very carefully up to Lara's door.

Lara fumbled for her keys. Sam waited patiently, knowing it would take longer if she tried to do it for her. Lara finally got the door open. Sam flicked on the lights and closed the door, letting Lara go for the first time since leaving the pub. Lara spun round and enveloped her in a huge hug. "Thank you, Sam, for getting me home safe." She breathed in the smell at the crook of Sam's neck, swearing in her head.

"It's nothing." Sam hugged back. "Are you going to be okay to get yourself to bed?"

"No no no." Lara pushed back from the hug, gripping Sam's shoulders. "Don't leave, Sam. Please, I have to tell you something."

Sam was confused, but intrigued. "What do you have to tell me?"

"Shh." Lara held a finger to her lips. "It's a secret." She started off toward the bedroom. At first Sam didn't move. Lara turned and waved her forward. "Come on."

Sam sighed and followed. "Where the hell could this be going?" She mumbled to herself.

Lara had managed to yank off one of her boots and was pulling the other free when Sam came into the room. She tossed the boot toward the wall and fell back on the bed.

"Lara?"

"Come here." Lara tapped the mattress next to her.

Sam sat on the edge of the bed. "You had something you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes. Down here." Lara indicated for Sam to lie down next to her. Sam indulged her and stretched out beside her friend. Lara touched Sam's face. She stroked the smooth skin, tracing Sam's cheekbone.

Sam spoke softly. "You wanted to tell me a secret, Lara?"

"Yes." Lara whispered. She swallowed and leaned in close to Sam's face. "I love you." She pressed her lips to Sam's, holding the curve of her jaw. Electricity shot through her entire body. A small whimper escaped her throat like a bubble finally popping. It took a second for the shock to set in. Sam accepted Lara's kiss. She kissed back, slow and unsure. Lara's hand strayed down Sam's body, holding onto her side. She pressed closer, kissing Sam deeper.

Then she stopped.

Sam's head spun. She closed her eyes, re-centering her thoughts. She took a long, slow breath before opening her eyes again. Lara was asleep. "Lara?" Sam waited, but there was no response. She asked again, louder. There was still no answer. Sam moved to get up, but Lara pulled her down by the hip. "Lara, I have to go home." Sam tried to get up again, but Lara made a disapproving grumble and held tighter. She was surprisingly strong. Sam relented and settled back down. "Okay, I'll stay."


	3. Chapter 3

Lara woke slowly, her head pounding. She rubbed her forehead, hoping to release some of the tension. She became suddenly aware of someone else in her bed. _'Shit, please tell me I didn't shag some guy from the pub last night.'_ Lara sat up to get a better look at the person next to her. It took a second, but she realized who it was—Sam. Lara's eyes went wide with panic. _'Oh, god!'_ Her heart raced, the hammering in her head worsened. _'No, no, no, no, no. Please don't let me have slept with my best friend last night. I am never drinking again.'_ The panic reached her muscles and she jumped out of bed, pacing frantically around the room.

The commotion roused Sam. "Lara?"

Lara froze. Every muscle itched, ready for…something. She didn't know what.

Sam rolled onto her back and propped up on her elbows. "Lara, are you okay?"

Lara's mouth went dry. She choked out a raspy, "Yes." Swallowing, she clenched her jaw to drown out the throbbing behind her ears. "Did we, uh… Did you and I…" She gestured awkwardly toward herself and Sam.

Sam smiled. Maybe awkward Lara was cute. Maybe seeing her without that ever-present air of confidence was appealing. But she was definitely going to keep those thoughts to herself. "Did we sleep together? Is that what you're asking?" All Lara could do was nod. "Only in the most literal sense. You wouldn't let me leave last night." 

"Oh, thank god." Her shoulders slumped down as she sighed in relief. "I'm sorry, Sam. For yesterday. And for last night."

Sam shrugged. "It's okay. Lord knows you've been there for me plenty of times when I drank too much."

Lara finally felt calm enough to slow down. She sat on the foot of the bed and a comfortable silence fell around them. Sam let her relax before asking, "How's your head?"

"Bloody killing me."

Lara buried herself in work again. It was her response to personal problems: focus everything on puzzles she could solve and the rest would just…go away. It had been weeks since she'd spoken to Sam, spoken to anyone. It hadn't been conscious, time just got away from her. Sam had texted and called. But Lara's responses had thinned and the time between them lengthened, until she missed the calls and ignored the texts completely. She'd ignored everyone. She had to get ahead of Trinity.

Lara read over an old journal of her father's, trying to decipher his research in order to plan her next step. Trinity wouldn't rest, and neither would she. They might have all the money in the world at their disposal, but she had her father's entire life's work. The television played in the background, filling the empty room with white noise. She read a passage and paused to think. The TV filtered through her busy brain, her ears catching onto a phrase, "you had something you wanted to tell me?" her mind flashed back to the night of the press conference that had ruined her own reputation. Several pints in, her steps faltering and words slurring. She saw Sam in her mind, lying in bed next to her. Sam asked after Lara's secret again. Lara plead with the memory, begging as if it would somehow change the past. The memory kept playing as she felt the words leave her mouth. "I love you."

The book fell from Lara's hand. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." She circled the room with increasing speed as the panic set in. Her fight or flight response crying to use her muscles. The memory looped in her head. "What have I done? Shit." She reached for her phone to call Sam. "What are you going to say to her? 'I told you I love you months ago and you haven't said a word about it, but do you have feelings for me?' You're daft."

She stopped pacing. "Put it together, Lara." She took a deep breath and let her mind click into motion. "You told her you love her, but you were hammered. She knew you were hammered. You asked her to stay with you and she did. She didn't say a word about what you told her. Has her behavior changed?" Lara thought over the last few months. Sam had treated her the same. No change. "Okay. No change is good. She knows how you feel, but isn't bothered. She accepts it. You haven't brought it up while sober, so she pretends it never happened because she knows I never meant to tell her."

Lara stood still for a moment. "I have to tell her." Lara dialed Sam.

"Hey, Lara."

"Sam, come over. There's something we need to talk about."

"Okay. You want me to come over now?" Sam was concerned, what could have Lara so upset?

She could hear the worry in Sam's voice, even though she tried to hide it. "Yes. If you can." Lara's tone was insistent.

"Sure." Sam kept her voice relaxed and casual.

"See you soon." Lara hung up and immediately went to the fridge for a beer. "No. Not this time." She set the kettle on to boil instead.

Sam agonized over what Lara could want to talk about. It had to be some breakthrough in her research, and a big one at that. She'd been focused on nothing else for months. Since the tabloids had run her name through the mud like they had her father, she'd drawn into herself and shut out everything but her work. She'd never say so, but she was still so desperate to prove them all wrong. And the only way she could see to do it was to raid enough tombs to find hard evidence, something that couldn't be disputed no matter how hard they tried.

But what would have her so stressed? Lara had always been a woman of few words, opting for a direct approach over diplomacy, but she had been curt even for her on the phone. After no contact for weeks. Sam missed her friend. She missed spending time with her, missed joking with her, making her smile. She missed the way Lara laughed at even the dumbest of her jokes; missed the way her brown eyes lit up when she'd solved a puzzle. The way she looked at Sam when she thought no one was watching. She missed the way Lara's heart raced during the suspenseful parts of movies and the way she'd squeeze Sam's shoulders without realizing it. Sam missed the way Lara smelled…

"Oh, shit."

A knock at the door roused Lara from her study. She squared her shoulders and steeled her nerve before opening the door. Sam rushed forward, wrapped one arm tight around Lara's waist, and pulled her in for a kiss with a hand behind her head. Lara went stiff at first, but softened as Sam held her. She pulled Sam against her, kissing her deeply. Lara kicked the door closed and pinned Sam against it. Sam dug her fingers into Lara's hair.

Sam pulled back, out of breath. "I realized on the way here that I'm in love with you, Lara."

Lara laughed. "That makes what I wanted to talk about a hell of a lot easier."

Sam stroked her fingers up and down the back of Lara's neck. "What was that?"

Lara looked her in the eyes. "I remembered what I said that night, and I wanted to tell you, while sober, that I love you."

Sam smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. Lara ran her hands down to Sam's thighs and lifted her legs up around her waist, pressing Sam against the door with her hips. Sam squeezed tight around her. Lara's hips pressed harder into Sam as the tightness between her thighs worsened. With Sam's arms around her neck and her legs around her waist, Lara grabbed her by the thighs and carried her to the bedroom. Sam's stomach dropped.

Lara sat Sam down on the bed and climbed on top of her. Sam fumbled at Lara's belt, finally pulling it free with several jerks. Lara straddled Sam's thighs; straightening up, she pulled her tank over her head. Sam ran her hands over Lara's torso. Her olive skin was soft, but the muscle beneath was like steel. She brushed her thumb over a large scar on Lara's side. _'She got that saving me.'_

Lara pulled her up to sit so Sam could slip out of her jacket. Lara stripped her shirt off and pressed Sam back onto the mattress with the weight of her body. She kissed Sam desperately, drowning in her. Lara's hands wandered over her hips as their bare skin burned against each other. Lara moved a hand up to Sam's bra, her hand shaking with anticipation. She squeezed gently, indulging in the softness she found there, making Sam groan and arch into the touch. Lara slid her other hand under and undid the hooks. Pulling Sam's bra away, she stopped for a moment, hesitant; there could be no turning back after this.

Sam traced her fingertips up Lara's arm, brushing against a scar she had earned on the island. How many more would she find on her over the years? She curled her fingers behind Lara's neck and pulled her down. Lara exhaled an unsteady breath before pressing her lips to Sam's nipple, sucking softly. Sam cried out and pressed Lara closer. Emboldened, Lara flicked her tongue against the skin between her lips.

"Shit, Lara, that feels so good." Sam pulled at the hooks of Lara's bra. Lara slid her arms free of the straps and let the clothing fall from her body. Sam ran her hand along Lara's ribs and cupped her breast without trepidation. A shudder flowed through Lara's body. Sam teased her nipple with her fingers while Lara sucked at her own, playing her tongue in strokes and flicks.

Lara kissed down her stomach, undoing Sam's belt and fly. Sam kicked off her boots as Lara tugged her jeans down. Lara stood to take her own pants off. Sam sat up, "No, let me." Sam popped the button and slowly slid down the zipper. She grabbed Lara's hips and kissed her stomach. The breath against her skin made Lara's muscles tense. Sam kissed down to the waistband of her underwear. Lara shuddered, gasping audibly. Sam smiled and slid her hands down Lara's legs as she pushed her pants down. Lara bent down and yanked at her boots, kicking them out of the way.

Lara stood between Sam's legs in nothing but a pair of dark blue panties. Sam gripped at Lara's thighs, feeling the heat between them. She nipped at Lara's stomach, indulging in the way the muscles contracted beneath her skin. Sam placed a long, gentle kiss against the scar Lara now had above her hip. "I know where this came from. This is for me."

"Sam." Lara brushed Sam's cheek. "My scars are not your responsibility."

Sam shrugged. "But maybe I can help them heal a little better." She pressed her lips against Lara's underwear, and Lara bucked against her. Sam pulled the last bit of Lara's clothing off before wrapping her arms around Lara's body, nibbling at the curve of her hip. "Your body is amazing."

Lara pushed Sam down into the bed, climbing on top of her. She ran her hand up Sam's thigh, over her hip, and up her stomach. "What do you think I've been trying not to think about the past few months?"

"Um…" Sam mumbled.

Lara kissed the edge of Sam's jaw. "How beautiful you are. How much I wanted to touch you, to kiss you." Lara relaxed her body weight onto Sam, her lips close to her ear. "How much I wanted to be inside you."

Sam shuddered bodily. "Fuck."

"I mean it." Lara traced her fingers along the inside of the red ribbing edging Sam's black boy shorts. "You were all I could think about. Wondering how you'd feel coming down from climax at my touch." Lara groaned, her own thoughts getting the better of her. "I never thought I'd get the chance." She kissed Sam's collarbone, her fingers slipping inside her underwear.

Sam grabbed Lara's face and kissed her deeply. She lifted her hips for Lara to strip her underwear. Lara ran her hand up the inside of Sam's thigh, nudging her legs wider. She teased her fingers against Sam, enjoying the twitching of her hips and fluttering of her breath. She braced her thighs against the back of Sam's legs and slid inside her. They both let out a cry of pleasure, breath shaking at the feeling. Lara moved her fingers slowly at first, working them in and out. Sam was so warm and soft, so wet. Sam held Lara tight, brushing her hands along the muscles of her back, tracing her spine with her nails. Lara kissed her passionately as she picked up speed, pressing her pelvis behind her hand. Sam moaned and put a hand on Lara's hip, pulling her deeper into her.

Lara swung her hips, driving her fingers deeper and harder. Sam's cries grew more desperate, clutching at Lara. Sam was usually more for riding the men she slept with, but there was nothing she wanted more than Lara on top of her, fucking her, holding her down with that strong, soft body. Lara bit at Sam's lip as she pulled away from her kiss. Her lips strayed down Sam's throat and chest. She lapped her tongue across Sam's nipple while she thrust into her. "Yes, Lara."

Lara sucked and licked and bit her nipple; Sam buried her fingers in Lara's hair, holding her against her breast. Lara shifted her wrist as she settled against Sam's body. "Oh fuck. Right there." Lara thrust into her faster. "Oh yes, please Lara. Make me come for you. God, I want to come for you." Sam danced her hips with Lara's rhythm, an urgent tension rising in her body. Lara felt her tighten around her fingers, could feel the sounds growing in her throat. Finally, she arched her back, gripping her nails into Lara's skin. She screamed Lara's name and collapsed against the mattress, weak and out of breath.

Lara waited until Sam had stopped spasming around her fingers before pulling out. She laid down next to Sam, resting her head to listen to Sam's racing heart. All the times she'd thought about it couldn't compare to how it felt to finally be with her. Lara replayed everything in her mind, slowing down to focus on how Sam felt around her. Amplifying every utterance, every catch in her throat. Feeling the scratches up her back as she threw her hips against her hand, driving her fingers deep inside Sam's wetness. Lara lost herself in thought as Sam recovered.

Sam lay still, her limbs numb and heavy. She had every reason to believe that Lara was good, but she hadn't expected that. Lara twitched her hips beside Sam. Strength returned to her body, and there was only one thing Sam wanted. She knew none of the men Lara had been with had ever gone down on her. Sam was going to show her a hell of a good time.

Sam put a hand on Lara's shoulder and pushed her over onto her back. She smirked down at her. "My turn." A wave of red rushed across Lara's cheeks. "I know you're plenty warmed up, but there's just so much I want to explore first." Sam kissed Lara's throat, teething the soft skin.

Lara answered in an uncharacteristically tremulous voice. "You know that my first love has always been exploration."

Sam chuckled as she swept kisses across Lara's breasts. "First, I'm going to explore this ridge here, with its gentle slopes and beautiful peaks." Softly, she teased the tip of her tongue against Lara's hard nipple, rocking her head back and forth as she traced her tongue against it. She dragged her nails up Lara's thighs, taking a firm grasp of her hips. Lara shivered. Sam slid down against Lara's stomach. "Then I'm going to take a leisurely stroll down this pleasant meadow." Her lips and tongue and teeth worked their way along the curves of Lara's abs, until she settled into the crevice of her hip. "Oh no, I've gotten caught in a crevasse. I guess I'll have to climb out." Sam bit down against Lara's flesh, taking successive bites along the edge of her pelvis. Lara twitched and moaned, the sensation a tantalizing tickle. "Mmm, what's this? I seem to have found a patch of grass next to a deliciously warm spring." Sam slid her arms under Lara's thighs and lifted them onto her shoulders. "I'll have to take a dip." Sam grinned up at Lara before pressing into her.

Lara was already shivering, but when Sam's tongue brushed her clit for the first time, she felt a fire spread through every muscle. "Fuck, Sam." Sam chuckled again; Lara choked. She buried her fingers in Sam's silky hair, pleading for her to be closer. Lara wanted to buck her hips, and Sam had to hold tight to her thighs to keep her body still. She played her tongue all around Lara's clit, listening and feeling her muscles move, finding just the right ways to touch her. Circles, side to side, long flat strokes, quick flutters of the tip of her tongue: Sam tried them all on her. Lara moaned and cried and pulled Sam harder against her. She'd never felt anything like that. Her voice sharpened and Sam knew she needed to come. She sucked Lara's clit sharply and felt her entire body convulse. Sam moaned against the salty, wet skin between her lips. It was circles Lara seemed to favor the most, and so Sam set her tongue about her clit. Working slow, wide circles into tighter and faster ones. Building Lara until she could barely take the feeling any more. Sam carried her right up to the edge and then fluttered the tip of her tongue softly against Lara.

Lara came screaming and pulling Sam's hair, pushing her hard against herself. Sam waited for her grip to loosen before pulling away. Lara's body buzzed all over, humming with exhausted pleasure. Sam licked her lips and crashed down on the bed next to Lara. Lara smiled weakly at her. "Back from your expedition so soon?"

Sam smiled. "I nearly got rained out. Then there was an earthquake." Her eyes sparkled. "But I already have plans to return once the region recovers." Lara smiled weakly through her panting.


End file.
